2023 International Women’s Day Local Events

By: Hope O’Shaugnessy

International Women’s Day will be celebrated throughout the Boston area in March.
The events will cover issues from digital literacy to abortion rights. Here’s a round up of
diverse ways to honor this international celebration. International Women’s Day has
been celebrated for over 100 years and you can read more about the history of this day
here: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Activity/15586/The-history-of-IWD

Bridging the digital gender divide will be the topic of an International Women’s Day
event being held Tues. March 7, 2023 from 5:30 to 8 pm at The Foundry, 101 Rogers
Street, Cambridge. Pre-registration is required for this free event hosted by the United
Nations Association of Greater Boston. Panelists will include: Tazrin Hossain,
Innovation Officer at the Netherlands Innovation Network; Michaela Jamelska, Founding
Partner, NOVA Virtual World; and Helen Rosenfeld, Executive Director, Massachusetts
Science & Engineering Fair. To register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/un-perspective-
series-gender-equality-international-womens-day-2023-tickets-
519915811187?aff=odeimcmailchimp&mc_cid=bee5c2cf56&mc_eid=UNIQID

Simmons University will host the 25 th Annual Boston Area International Women’s Day
Breakfast on Weds. March 8 from 9 am to 11 am at 200 The Fenway, Boston. The
event is hosted by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Organization for Women
(MASS NOW), YWCA Cambridge, Boston Area International Women’s Day, and the
Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. For information about this free
event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/25th-annual-boston-area-international-womens-
day-breakfast-tickets-532467764417

On Weds. March 8 from 6 to 8 pm the Cambridge Women’s Center (CWC) will host
“We Won’t Go Back: A Panel on Pre-Roe.” The talk will be presented by “The Bad Old
Days Posse” and is being held at the center on 25 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge.
(Masks required.) The posse consists of speakers who experienced the era before Roe
v. Wade.
The CWC’s FB page invites attendees to “an honest discussion on what it took to get an
abortion before Roe, the terror of unintended pregnancies, the limited choices available,
and the risk women took to make the right decisions for them.” This is both a call to
action and a historical journey to commemorate International Women’s Day.

The International Institute of New England (IINE) rounds out the week on Fri. March 10
with an event from 3-5:30 pm at the Boston Park Plaza featuring speaker, Dr. Sima
Samar. Samar is a human rights activist, the first Minister of Women’s Affairs for
Afghanistan, and a member of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on
Displacement. The IINE is involved in the education and support including resettlement
of immigrants and refugees throughout New England with offices in Boston, Lowell, MA,
and Manchester, NH. For more information about ticket purchases:
https://iine.org/iwd23/